Buying Time
by Destiny Aitsuji
Summary: Eustass Kid is in love with Trafalgar Law secretly. However when the man met a Yonko unexpectedly, then faces the Yonko himself and was at death's door. Being nearby, Trafalgar saved the red haired man by chance. This leads the Yonko to pursue and kill Trafalgar Law. Full summary inside. Zoro x Sanjji side pairing. Ratings may go up. Warning: Not beta-ed.
1. The Unfortunate Meeting

**Swap**

Summary: Eustass Kid is in love with Trafalgar Law secretly. However when the man met a Yonko unexpectedly, the faces the Yonko himself and was at death's door. Being nearby, Trafalgar saved the red haired man by chance. This leads the Yonko to pursue and kill Trafalgar Law. Eustass survived and in order to revive the secret love of his life, Eustass travels with the Straw Hat Pirates in search of the toki-toki no mi (Clock-clock fruit) user to reverse time. Eustass travels back ten years into the past. He has to help all the straw hat pirates get over their most difficult moments in order to gain the approval of the toki-toki no mi user. However the price he has to pay in order to bring back a person marked by the death Gods was high. Eustass was made to trade his remaining life span with the people he wished to revive. Left with only twenty days to live, what will Eustass do?

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

"Captain? This just came in…" Killer told Eustass who was drawing a map in the captain's cabin.

Eustass took the wanted poster from his first mate's hand and smiled. The only one who knew of his secret crush on the Surgeon of Death was Killer. Killer was not fully supportive of this because he knew how cunning the doctor could be but whatever he said fell on his captain's deaf ears. Killer could only do his best to support his captain and wish him luck.

Trafalgar Law's bounty had just increased and he smiled. As expected of the man who stole his heart. "Thank you," Eustass told killer who nodded and left the room.

Eustass looked at the collection of Trafalgar's wanted posters and pictures on the wall. He sighed. "When will I be able to meet you again?" he asked to no one in particular.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Trafalgar Law sighed. He was on board the Thousand Sunny. Lately things seem to be going way too easily and he wonders if it was due to his meticulous planning or somebody else's plan. Truly, confronting Kaido was not easy. However with Luffy's help he managed to pull through it. His Shichibukai title had been stripped off and Donquixote Doflamingo had been put into Impel down for abusing his Shichibukai status.

Right now he sailed with Luffy in order to meet up with his crew. Law wonders how he would take down the next Yonko. The man he was aiming this time happened to be Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach.

"The man who took down the God of the Sea huh? From my information network he is on the island Luffy-ya is going to. Will lady luck abandon me this time?" Law smiled. He was looking forward to getting to know more about the man who ate the fearsome devil fruit.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Eustass Kid arrived at Purplewood Island. His log pose had led him to this island. It was meant to be the most exciting one in Eustass's opinion. The more unstable the needle the better the adventure, he needed some strong opponents at times.

Eustass grinned as his feet touched ground. It felt good to be on dry land once more after sailing for weeks. Eustass had not been prepared to meet a Yonko.

Cursing, he told Killer to get the crew away from the island while he held back the Yonko and his crew. Marshall D. Teach stood in Eustass Kid's way and his crew blocked any escape routes. The red haired captain cursed. His eyes narrowed as Blackbeard showed off his ugly teeth with that twisted grin. Mockery was evident in the despicable man's eyes and the Supernova gritted his teeth in frustration. Once again his plans had backfired horribly and Eustass Kid found himself in a tight spot.

He glanced back at his crew who all had grim expressions. Eustass knew that they would not escape unscathed. "Killer," he growled with a low voice. His first mate knew instantly that it was a fight to the death.

"I understand captain," his trusted subordinate respected his wish which could possibly be his last.

Eustass waited and the tension between the Yonko and the supernova was unbearable. Without displaying their Conqueror's Haki, their aura alone was enough to knock out any weak willed pirates. Thankfully all the men on board Eustass's ship were ruddy and strong lads. They were fine dogs of the sea that sailed the Grand Line in the New World.

Without warning, all of Eustass's crew took off in different directions at the same time Killer threw a smoke grenade.

Before Blackbeard had anytime to pursue the escaping crew, Eustass launched himself at the bigger man. The red haired devil fruit user only regretted not being able to see the sexy Surgeon of Death once more.

The fight was one sided and it did not take long before the captain was knocked out However those few seconds of delay was enough for the crew to escape and that was all the captain wanted.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Luffy was sitting on Sunny's head keeping a lookout for the island that Nami had said they would arrive in a few days. Being optimistic on the new prospect of a mystery island, Luffy could hardly contain his excitement and always spent his time on the captain's seat where he could keep a lookout.

It was afternoon and the sun was extremely hot. In the New World the weather was even less predictable than the Paradise part of Grand Line. Nami and Robin took this opportunity to sun tan themselves while Sanji fawned over them like the usual idiot he was. Law occupied himself with Chopper's medical books. They were interesting because other than surgery, Law's medical knowledge was lacking.

Chopper explained about the uses of herbs for treatment while Law tried to rationalize the use of plants as medicine instead of chemicals. "This is the most primitive method of healing that I have come across. How does it work?" the doctor asked. The reindeer merely smiled and explained the theory of energy forces in a body with the balancing. Law deadpanned. Even though they were both doctors, Law could not understand how something so unscientific would work as medicine.

However, before Law could bring up more questions, the Straw hat pirates' captain yelled about having found someone in the water.

Both doctors immediately switched to professional mode, ready to receive the person.

When Ussop and Zoro managed to fish the huge man up, Law gasped. It was not only the injuries that the man had sustained that shocked him. The identity of the man in question was a far greater shock than the injuries he sustained.

"Mr. Eustass!" Law gasped in horror. His mind stopped functioning and due to his emotions running high, he was unable to perform the role of a doctor. Chopper took over that role and assessed the unconscious man while Law was reeling in from the initial shock.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Eustass woke up to someone snoring beside him. He took in his new environment and knew immediately that somehow he had survived. The man he harbored a crush on was snoring lightly by his bedside. Eustass's heart beat rose and so did the beeping of the machine.

The Surgeon of Death awoke frantically to the sound of the machine's erratic beeping, thinking that something was wrong with Eustass, only to find the red haired man blushing while staring at him.

Law was surprised for a moment but then a playful smirk replaced the stunned expression. He purred and Eustass felt his heart skip a beat. "I see that you are well enough now Mr. Eustass. You had me worried there for a moment."

Eustass felt his face heat up even more. The doctor was using a sultry tone to tempt him further. The man tried to act normal and attempted a rude remark like usual but his voice got caught in his throat. It didn't help that the sexy doctor bumped their foreheads together 'to check for fever'. Eustass was thankful that his crew was not present to see it.

The thought about his crew made the captain recall of his encounter with the Yonko. "Shit!" he cursed.

Law was thrown off without warning as Eustass tumbled out of bed in haste. "Where are you going, Eustass-ya?" Law chased after the red head who did not make it very far.

Head still spinning from a harsh impact with the ground, Eustass groaned and focused his bleary eyes at the doctor who had a concerned frown.

It took a lot of pacification on Law's side before Eustass was willing to stay still and listen to his story before the red head could jump off the ship in search of his crew.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Blackbeard was fuming. Eustass Kid had the devil's luck to have escaped the very last moment. The Yami-yami no mi was supposed to rob him of his devil fruit's ability and kill him. That Supernova had used the last of his power to shoot Blackbeard using one of his crew's muskets. Blackbeard had dropped the man into the sea but he also knew for certain that the red haired man did not perish from the fall. Blackbeard was livid and he swore to kill the red head along with anyone else that found and saved him.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Eustass Kid breathed a sigh of relief when he put down the den den mushi. Apparently his crew had escaped safely and was rescued by Law's crew. They were waiting at another island now for Luffy who was bringing Law over to meet up with them.

Law looked at the flame haired male smugly. He could not help but feel proud of his crew as a captain.

Eustass glared at the tan man halfheartedly. Honestly he was thankful however his reputation did not allow him to show any sort of soft side. The smug look on that man's face was also irking the red head. _"He is not going to hear any thanks from me with that knowing look no matter how sexy he is…"_

Luffy was fooling around on deck as usual when suddenly a cannon ball came whistling by. Immediately, Zoro was on his feet by his captain who had deflected the cannonball just in time. All hands appeared on deck including Law and Eustass.

"Captain! The ship is under attack!" Franky reported. Luffy frowned. He asked Robin, "Whose flag is that?"

Using the binoculars, Robin identified it to be Blackbeard's. Nami was already on deck ordering the others to prepare for battle. Eustass snarled when he heard Blackbeard. Law looked uncomfortable. The surgeon had intended to use Blackbeard against Big Mom but now that he has to fight against the man he needed to abort the plan.

Eustass thought about how Blackbeard tried to absorb his devil fruit ability and how his crew had nearly been killed by this Yonko. Rage awakened from within. Before anyone could react, Eustass used his abilities to freeze all the incoming cannonballs and send them back to Blackbeard's ship.

Blackbeard's ship was successfully destroyed and it led all of Blackbeard's crew to board the Sunny-go.

Luffy, Law and Eustass had a faceoff with Blackbeard. It was difficult to gain the upper hand because Blackbeard's devil fruit ability prevented any sort of physical contact and close range attacks.

While Zoro was occupied with his fight with Shiliew and Sanji occupied with Jesus Burgess, the rest of the crew tried to hold back the remaining of Blackbeard's crew. However the power difference was too strong and everyone knew it was a losing battle.

Ussop suddenly cried out in fear when Doc Q got hold of him. Luffy turned around only to see his friend held hostage.

Using Luffy's distraction, Blackbeard took the chance to rid of Eustass Kid resulting in Law trying to protect the man using himself. As Blackbeard killed Law in front of Eustass's eyes the red haired man lost the last of his rationality and became a beast.

Purple waves of energy covered Eustass's entire form as Law's body fell to the ground. He unleashed the fury of his powers on Blackbeard who was as stunned as anyone else on board.

Controlling the iron in Blackbeard's blood Eustass lifted the man off the ground and made Blackbeard to scream in agony when he used his ability to materialize a spear of iron from Blackbeard's blood. The spear pierced through Blackbeard's chest and then decapitated the Yonko.

When Blackbeard was dead, Eustass regained his normal self and gently cradled Law in his arms.

"Law?" his voice sounded broken and weak but nothing else mattered.

Seeing this made Luffy and his crew angry. They finished off Blackbeard's remaining crew while Chopper tried desperately to save Law's life.

Chopper cried while he did his best but Law refused to breathe. Eustass felt his breaking heart fall apart even more with every passing second that Law would not breathe. He was losing hope and for the first time in his life he cried. _"If only I told him how I felt about him…"_

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

**Author's Note: This is my very first Eustass x Law and to be honest I doubt this idea is original at all. However I really wanted to read a Eustass x Law fic so badly that I had to write one since no one out there would write one like that TTATT I hope you will enjoy this nevertheless. I'm new to the One Piece fandom so I don't know much. I don't own anything here just in case. Do review because it lets me know how much you enjoyed this Please wait for the next chapter. I'll try my best to upload it as soon as I can… now to prepare for school next year ^_^**


	2. Eustass's Resolve

**Buying Time**

**Chapter 2**

Summary: Eustass Kid is in love with Trafalgar Law secretly. However when the man met a Yonko unexpectedly, the faces the Yonko himself and was at death's door. Being nearby, Trafalgar saved the red haired man by chance. This leads the Yonko to pursue and kill Trafalgar Law. Eustass survived and to revive the secret love of his life, Eustass travels with the Straw Hat Pirates in search of the toki-toki no mi (Clock-clock fruit) user to reverse time. Eustass travels back ten years into the past. He has to help all the straw hat pirates get over their most difficult moments to gain the approval of the toki-toki no mi user. However the price he has to pay to bring back a person marked by the death Gods was high. Eustass was made to trade his remaining life span with the people he wished to revive. Left with only twenty days to live, what will Eustass do?

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Law's death was a huge shock to Eustass Kidd. Meeting law's crew was simply nerve wrecking for the broken man.

Killer was overjoyed to see his captain again but Bepo went insane on hearing about his captain's death. Seeing Law's crew mourn for their loss, Eustass felt a stab of guilt that should normally be impossible for a man as cold blooded as him.

Luffy was silent throughout and no one was able to decipher his expression with the shadow beneath the straw hat covering his eyes. Nami cried and Robin comforted her. Sanji took out his frustrations on smoking. Franky, Ussop, Brook and Chopper were bawling shamelessly alongside Law's crew. Zoro stood by his captain's side awaiting orders.

"Damn it…" Eustass cursed. However it went unheard with the commotion around.

"Damn it…" he bit his trembling lips. The tears in his eyes refused to fall even though his heart was already overflowing with the unshed tears. His pool of emotions had long flooded and there was absolutely no way Eustass could pretend nothing happened. If it were anyone else the red haired pirate would have walked away laughing at their misfortune while continuing his quest to become the pirate king.

However this was Trafalgar Law… the only man or person even, that he came to love. He never cared for anyone else as much as he did when it concerned that queer doctor. Things happened far too fast and it was all gone too soon. "If only I had not taken him for granted…" Eustass lamented. The arrogance in his usual voice was gone and all that remained was some broken remains of his pride that were laced with regret.

Robin glanced at the red haired pirate from the corner of her eye. There was information that might prove useful but she hesitated to tell him. _"Information in the wrong hands could prove disastrous. Ohara was destroyed because of it. If this man knew how to bring a dead man back he would most likely be destroyed because of it. Should I let him know?"_

Luffy was silently observing everyone's reaction and his observation haki allowed him to hear various thoughts. Zoro was staring at Robin intently. He had also heard Robin's thoughts. Sanji had his back faced towards her but Luffy knew for sure he had heard it too.

Zoro glanced at Luffy briefly. Sanji gave a knowing smirk. _"What will you do now captian?"_ their thoughts echoed.

Luffy closed his eyes. _"What would Ace and Sabo have done in this case?"_

Both Ace and Sabo's smiles flashed in Luffy's mind. The incident at Marine HQ that scarred Luffy for life reminded Luffy about how he had wanted to bring his brother back. _"The only reason why I did not do that was because I still had nakama that I wanted to protect."_

"Yosh! I have decided," Luffy stood up with a smile. "Robin, how do we bring Law back?"

Robin gave her captain a stunned look before smiling and regaining her composure. Trusting his decision, Robin tapped Eustass Kid on is shoulder. The flame haired man looked up with hollow eyes.

"How much did that good doctor mean to you?" Robin asked gently.

Eustass looked down on the ground. Images of Law's smile flashed through his mind. "I could have given up on becoming the pirate king for him."

Sanji snuffed out the cigarette butt and calmly walked over to Eustass. "Even if it meant your life as well as your entire crew's?"

Eustass turned to the blonde cook. "If I had more to give him I would have. If he wanted the world then I would get it for him."

Zoro stepped in beside the cook. "But what if he only wanted you to live happily? After all he died to save you. What does his death mean to you?"

Eustass's lips curled into a grimace. "Then nothing I do now has meaning any longer. I would do anything to trade places with him!"

Nami glared at Eustass. "Even if it meant selfishly putting him in your shoes to bear the burden of having to live alone? You know the pain of losing him yet you are willing to bring him back knowing that he would be suffering the same pain as you if not more?"

This knocked the breath out of the red haired man. He chuckled a little at first. Then a few snickers escaped those painted lips. It escalated quickly into a full blown laughter. Zoro frowned. The man was going insane. _"He's probably going to destroy himself at this rate."_

Eustass Kid snapped as the last of his sanity broke. "That's right. I am the kind of person who wants revenge ten times what I had dealt damage with. I want him to suffer the pain he put me through. I wanted to tie him down and lock him up but he escaped me using death. I will bring him back and make him pay for what he has done to me. I will torment him for life even after my demise! I will bind him to me with anything even if it is hatred! It's better than to be forgotten by him…"

The silence after that outburst was deafening and heavy. Killer looked at his captain stunned. The bloodthirsty and devil reincarnated Eustass Kid was nowhere to be seen in the broken man. "Captian…"

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

**Author's Note: I know this is a relatively short chapter because I'm just not used to writing long chapters. Yes, there will be side pairings as well. I like ZoSan and I will be including it. If there are enough people reviewing and requesting there be smut I can write them In any case thank you for your support. I'm new to this fandom like I said. I find this couple really twisted here. Nevertheless the love between two misfits are probably the most romantic kind in my opinion. Falling in love with the wrong person just feels so right for me xD**

**Yes I know the author's section sounds boring and all but do review because it inspires me **


	3. Meeting Des

**Buying Time**

**Chapter 3**

**Author's Note: Thank you for the follows and reviews! I know this may not be the most popular pairing but I really love how they are. This is an angst genre so it should be a little sad and all. Let me know how you want this to end. Happy or sad? With that let us continue with the story ^_^**

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

The seas tossed the Thousand Sunny like a toy. Nami clutched onto the railing for dear life and Luffy was thrown overboard in the chaos. Sanji cursed and dived in after his captain while Zoro tried to secure the sails with Chopper. Ussop took the responsibility of taking the rudder while Franky steered. While the crew was in chaos on the deck Eustass remained in the doctor's room with Trafalgar's unmoving body.

The chaos outside meant nothing and even if the world was to end in that instant Eustass could not be bothered to move. He just wanted to take in the sight of Trafalgar Law while he still existed. "Just a little longer…" he would often whisper while kissing the cold hand.

Nico Robin sat in the library reading up on the toki-toki no mi and the user. The user was unknown but according to the book on Devil Fruits the toki-toki no I was able to unwind back time. However the mysterious effects that came with the power remained unknown because no one knew who the toki-toki no mi user was. It had been rumoured the user never died because he or she was always able to unwind back time.

It was already past midnight yet the storm was not relenting. All Devil fruit users were made to stay indoors because Sanji could not afford anyone else falling overboard. He had almost drowned when he was swept away by the strong currents while saving Luffy.

As the shipped rocked violently Robin was closer to finding the answer she wanted. "I remembered it was somewhere here…" she frowned. Before she could come to a conclusion the ship spiralled out of control and shouts from the deck were heard. Apparently the ship had been caught in strong currents that turned into a huge whirlpool.

Everyone appeared on deck that instant and tried to pull Sunny away from the deadly swirl to no avail. They were all sucked under into their watery graves.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Eustass felt his strength being sapped away by the sea. He was dying. "Will I end like this?"

In the water he saw a familiar white fluffy spotted hat float past him as he sank deeper. From the corner of his eye he saw Law's lifeless form sinking deeper into the darkness. "Law…"

Eustass struggled as much as he could but the curse of the devil fruit was too great. "If only I could find the toki-toki no mi user… perhaps I could turn back time and save him but now…"

The water before him seemed darker than before and it was certainly cold. "Please… I don't believe in God enough to ask for his help but whoever this toki-toki no mi user is if you can hear me will you please answer me? I'm dying here but there are things I still need to do and people I need to save…"

As if answering Eustass's silent cry for help a mermaid appeared.

The mermaid stared at him as he fell and Eustass vaguely wondered if it was man eating. Finally as all strength was sucked by the sea Eustass fell unconscious while thinking of Law.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

In a void of darkness Eustass wondered if he was dead. Then a mermaid appeared before him. The Kidd Pirate Captain was surprised but quickly became defensive.

"What do you want?" he growled.

The mermaid did not answer for a while and Eustass assumed she did not understand him. He was about to ask again when she spoke, "You wish to save the man you love."

Eustass was at a loss for words. The mermaid knew everything. "Who are you?"

The mermaid sighed. "You called for me didn't you?"

Eustass was about to tell her he did nothing but paused when something clicked. "You… you couldn't be…"

The mermaid tsked. "Yes I am! The toki-toki no mi user otherwise probably known as God in your world. You called for me with a wish. What is it? Make up your mind not that I have time to be concerned about…"

Eustass examined the mermaid with great interest. "How is it that you are not affected by sea water with your devil fruit power?"

The mermaid gave an over dramatic sigh. "That is what you are concerned about? Don't you have people to save?"

Eustass grinned. "We have time."

The mermaid rolled her eyes. "I guess there is no helping then. First and foremost before you confuse me with a mermaid I am a spirit. I change forms depending on where I go. Secondly because this fruit is powerful I do not appear before people often. I am not human either. I am part of the Devil Fruit tree that had branched off with the toki-toki no mi. You can think of me as the daughter of the Devil Fruit tree. Thirdly I appeared before you because there was something you could offer me in exchange with your wish."

Eustass laughed. "So it's a bargain then?"

The toki-toki no mi user huffed and nodded. "Alright then what are the terms and conditions?" Eustass casually enquired.

The toki-toki no mi user considered for a while. "I will help you turn back time to what you desire and change the course of future for the man you wish to save. In return you will help me gain enough power to create a new dimension. I will be pulling him into a new dimension while opening a wormhole for everyone else to exist alongside his borrowed time. In order to make up for the time that is lost on his side I need your remaining time to replenish it. In other words your life will be forfeit after it is shortened. At most you get to live for twenty two days."

Eustass took some time to process the information. "What if I fail?"

The toki-toki no mi user smiled. "Your life shall be forfeit immediately and the man you want to save will not return."

Eustass cursed. "Fine. When do we start?"

The toki-toki no mi user smiled. "We start now. By the way you can call me Des, short for Destiny. Are you ready?"

Eustass scowled. "What kind of name is that, Des?"

Des was irritated. "Damn brat with no sense of respect for your elders… now close your eyes and we can begin!"

Eustass reluctant shut his eyes and as soon as he did so he felt a tingling sensation.

Des spoke up again. "You may open your eyes now. We have arrived."

Eustass sneezed as he opened his eyes. They were in a jungle. "What the hell?!"

Another sneeze followed. "Could you not have chosen a place without flowers at least? I'm allergic to pollen!" Another sneeze ensued.

Des smirked. "Pay back is a bitch. Now quit complaining and follow me."

Eustass grumbled but followed behind.

* * *

**Author's Note: It took a lot of time forcing myself to complete this as I was lazy… I'm sorry but here it is. From now on the chapters will be more solid as I have them planned out more or less x3 Do drop a review~**


	4. Betrayals

**Chapter 4**

**Author's Note: Thank you for all the support. Just curious to know how many here are looking forward to more Zosan than KidLaw?**

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

The Straw hat pirates looked at their bodies dumbfounded. They were stranded in a time-space dimension.

"Luffy!" Nami screamed and tried to reach for her captain. However her shout was not heard and she was unable to move away from where she stood. Luffy seemed unfocused as he stared into space.

While Luffy remained in his trance like state Nami quickly scanned the area, trying to find the rest of her nakama.

Robin was floating in the middle of nowhere like Nami and she was assessing her situation. Franky was not too far behind Brook. He was firing his weapons in random directions but nothing worked. The bullets disappeared off into the distance and never reached an end.

Zoro's swords disappeared and he had a grim expression on. Sanji was still unconscious and Zoro was staring at the blonde cook with a slightly worried expression.

Usopp was panicking and Chopper was struggling to go towards Luffy. Nami could see that the doctor was yelling for his captain but she was unable to hear him. "What is this place?" she thought.

Zoro was worried for two reasons. One was due to his captain who seemed to be out of it. Something was wrong. From his observations they were all alive in this time-space dimension but they were all captives one way or another. They could see it each other and move about on their spot but not out of it. Sound would not travel either.

The other reason was more personal and probably a secret. Sanji, the shitty cook whom he had a crush on, was unconscious. Zoro knew that the blonde man was strong enough to take care of himself but at times like this when he looked so vulnerable Zoro can't help but want to go to him and protect him from whatever harm might come.

"If only I had those swords I might be able to do something about this…"

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Eustass squinted at the glaring sunlight. He was in the middle of the forest. "How is this possible?"

Des had somehow managed to vanish and Eustass grumbled. He trudged the dense vegetation in hope of running into someone. It was sweltering hot and sweat formed on the man's forehead.

Wiping away some sweat with his arm Eustass suddenly realized something unusual. His mechanical arm had been replaced with another arm that was flesh and blood.

Eyes widened in disbelief, Eustass clenched his fist and let out a choked laughter. There were mixed feelings about him having a real arm.

A thought struck him.

"_If I have a real arm then what do I look like right now?"_

The destination in his mind changed and he turned a hundred and eighty degrees to back track. Suddenly finding a mirror or reflective surface became a lot more important than finding someone to tell him where he was.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Des watched how Eustass stumbled around in his new form. She vaguely wondered if it was a good idea. "Maybe I should have added a beard or something. Brown hair just doesn't seem to match well with his personality and obviously adding in a real arm had made him distracted from the original objective." The toki-toki no mi user sighed dramatically. "If only he would be more concerned about saving his lover than his appearance…"

Des glanced at a small glowing orb in a jar. The light was growing smaller by the second. "Please hurry Eustass Kid, my powers to retain his soul and keep him from the reaper depends on you right now…"

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Eustass looked at the one of the huge slabs of crystals he found in a cave hidden by the bushes at a rocky mountainside. It was certainly a fine hideout and Eustass knew someone else before him had made this wonderful place theirs already. The captain smirked. "It's not like I cared about what they would think…"

A silver knife was pressed against his neck as soon as the words left his mouth. The voice was as cold as the metal against his skin when it spoke. "I wouldn't be too sure…"

Eustass froze. The voice was familiar but a lot younger. It was a girl's voice instead of the woman's voice he grew accustomed to hearing.

"Nico Robin?"

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

"_Where am I?"_

The surrounding was filled with nothing but colors that swirled in meaningless patterns. He tried to touch them but they shunned his contact.

"_I remember now… I am dead."_

The words echoed harshly in the vast silence. Only the colors responded with their never ending dance.

Law thought about the man he fell for. _"Eustass Kid… I wonder what he is doing now. Is he crying for me?"_

Law felt pain in his no longer existent chest. The thought f having Eustass cry for him was unbearable. "I should have used my ability to teleport him out. We could both be together then."

Law blamed himself for causing misery to the one he loved. "Why did I act before thinking? I am a very calm person… why did I jump in like that?"

Eustass Kid's annoying face popped out and Law scowled. "How can I love an idiot like him so much that I would rather die? It's very unbecoming of me and Bepo would surely not like it."

As Bepo's name, the heart pirates broke down. "I'm sorry…"

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Eustass Kid reflected on his new look. He was displeased. "Hair should be red and not brown…"

Nico Robin stifled a giggle. Eustass was strange in his own way and it was funny how two criminals got along so well.

The girl was wary of him at first but then when Eustass's stomach growled things changed. It became awkward and then turned hilarious as the man tried to make up more excuses to cover his embarrassment.

In the end the both of them settled down on the cave's cold stone floor and munched on some half burnt rabbit meat that was caught by Eustass not more than an hour ago.

Once they had eaten their fill, Robin asked the strange man she just met. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Eustass wanted to tell her his real name when Des spoke to him in his mind.

"Do not reveal anything about yourself or the future otherwise the past will be changed and your destined meeting with your love might not exist!"

Eustass froze. Robin looked at him intently. Sweat started to form on the pirate's had. "I'm… I'm Eugene!"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Eustass's patience wore thinner. _"This cocky kid…"_

Robin then asked him what he was doing in her hideout. Eustass mentally cursed himself for being unable to answer immediately. Robin grew suspicious and then Eustass sighed in defeat. He was regretting this after all.

"I'm lost alright… I just got washed ashore…"

Then Eustass wanted to hit himself over the head. How did he knew this was an island?

To his surprise Robin bought the lie. "Don't worry mister! I got washed ashore here a few months ago too. The storm out there is terrifying isn't it? I'm really glad I found this place though… the village people can't be trusted. I'm wanted by the marines after all. I assume that you have a bounty on your head too."

Eustass guffawed. He ruffled Robin's hair. "You should not be too trusting with strangers, kid. People are not that kind. The world is a huge place and there are many cruel people around. You won't know who your friend is and who your foe is until they betray you or help you when you are down at your lowest."

Robin frowned. "I don't understand you, mister."

Eustass looked at the younger version of Nico Robin. He patted her on the head. "You shouldn't have to understand this because you are so young. However because of the circumstances for you, it is best you get used to these kinds of things."

Robin's eyes became teary. Eustass felt pity for the small girl. He did something he had never done before. He pulled the girl into a hug.

Robin bawled in the older man's arms.

Her mother had just died and she was allowed to live by Aokiji. Her only friend Saul whom she made recently died because of her. Her entire home, Ohara was destroyed by Buster Call. The small rowboat she sailed away in capsized and as a devil fruit user she nearly drowned. She thought she was saved when a pirate ship of good men fished her out from the waters and gave her a place to stay when she discovered their plans to turn her to the marines for the reward on her head. She had to sink that ship and kill the people who were nice to her in order to live. When she was thrown off the sunken ship she had to fight for a piece of driftwood to cling onto, not knowing if she would make it to the next island.

When she was found on the next island, the villagers were nice to her until the read the newspaper about her and then out casted her. Robin was thankful that they did not attempt to turn her to the marine for the bounty on her head but then she was hurt that society would not want her because she was different and that she had a past that followed her like an ominous cloud wherever she went.

It just wasn't fair for Robin who was barely ten. Life had been bad when her mother went away. It became worse when she accidentally ate a devil fruit. Her friends started leaving her and no one wanted to talk to her. Books were her only companion and even they were taken away from her when Buster Call destroyed everything remaining that she could call home.

With a marine admiral-to-be chasing her with a tempting bounty on her head, Robin had nowhere else to go. Her life after that was worse than hell and she had no one to turn to or share her troubles with. She was always on the run, moving from place to place and hanging out with different people.

Each time she tried to start anew, her past would come back to haunt her and the vicious cycle continues. People betray her trust so many times that Robin shut her heart out. No matter how kind they were they would always turn their backs on her when they knew who she was and what she was capable of.

The stranger she met had spoken the truth which her young mind refuses to acknowledge. She kept on clinging onto the foolish hope that someday someone will overlook her past and see her for who she truly was.

Eustass allowed the girl to cry her heart out. He was sure after this she would cry no more and would be able to live life like who he knew her for - The devil's child, Nico Robin. She was the only woman he never wanted to mess with and never looked down upon. After all they had quite a similar past.

* * *

_Eustass's Past_

The flame haired kid walked down the street. He could hear the whispers of people. They were talking about him again. Eustass could hear everything they said about him. His mother was the only person in his family alive. However she was extremely weak and often fell ill.

In his country all the children with red hair were considered unclean. They were children who were deemed being born after their mother had done it with a man during her monthly cycle. In other words, they were children of whores.

Eustass had enough of this small town. He was the only child with red hair here. His mother often told him that his red hair was beautiful and that he should not heed the words of others who did not know better.

His father was a man from a distant land. He happened to have red hair and everyone there had red hair. Eustass got his hair color from that man. He had never met his father. His mother said he died at sea on a voyage. Eustass never questioned anything more than that and accepted it.

Then the day came when the news of his father came to town. His father was a bandit from the mountains and his mother did not dare to look him in the face when he asked her about it. He had trusted her with everything he had.

Unable to deal with reality of being betrayed, Eustass ran away.

He stole a small fishing boat and sailed away. His boat got caught in a storm and was destroyed. Luckily for Eustass he clung onto a drift wood to a strange island.

On the island, dying from starvation and dehydration, Eustass grabbed the nearest edible thing in the forest. It happened to be a devil fruit and Eustass's life changed drastically from then.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Des watched as the pirate captain and the girl shared their moment. The darkness in the girl's future had been lifted by Eustass's words. It sounded ironic because Des knew better than anyone else that the girl's future will be filled with nothing but darkness until she finds the man called Monkey D. Luffy.

However that was more than enough to sustain Law's soul for a little longer. The glowing orb now not larger than the size of Des's pinky fingernail before now expanded and grew. It swelled to the size of a baseball and Des nodded. It was time to take Eustass back and send him to another of the Straw Hat crew's past.

Eustass Kid almost screamed in terror as black tendrils reached out to grab him and swallowed him into the earth.

When he opened his eyes he found himself floating awkwardly in the middle of nowhere.

"What the hell!" Eustass spluttered. Des pressed her face close to Eustass. "Don't what the hell me! Do you have any idea how close you were to losing your lover?!"

Eustass was stunned. "What do you mean?"

"If you did not gather enough power for me I would not be able to retain your boyfriend's soul for long enough to swap his time with yours! The size of his soul started off as big as a bottle cap but it went to as small as the size of my pinky's fingernail," Des showed Eustass her pinky. "I need it to be the size of a bicycle tire at least in order to be able to perform the exchange of time…"

Eustass gulped guiltily. "So how big is it now?"

Des huffed and showed him the glowing orb no larger than the size of a baseball. "It will shrink continuously gradually and you need to be fast."

Eustass nodded in understanding. "So who's next?"

Des grinned. "You'll find out…"

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry I took so long to update this! It's not because I don't know what to write but rather I don't have much time:/ My exams are coming up in 2 weeks and I still have no clue what my lecturers were teaching up till last semester. I failed a few tests so I have to buck up… please understand and do let me know:**

**What kind of ending would you prefer? Sad or happy?**

**Do you want to see more KidLaw or Zosan featured? Perhaps both or…?**

**Any other suggestions or comments are always welcomed! ^^**

**With that thank you for supporting this story… I know it's not that great so thank you for bothering to read and review… :P**


	5. White Lies

**Chapter 5**

**Author's Note: Sorry I couldn't update. Sick and all… lost my voice *sigh* Exams are approaching so please don't expect really fast updates… Sorry for that.**

* * *

**Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX**

* * *

Without warning Eustass found himself falling into a void that was mysteriously created beneath his feet. He would have screamed had he not been so proud.

"Damn it! I'm definitely going to murder you when I get back!" he swore as cold black tendrils grabbed at him once more. The slick cool tendrils made the red haired man sick to the gut. It was not only terrifying… it was a manifestation of darkness itself.

"_Damn it…"_ Eustass cursed as his face scrunched up in pain. His head felt as if it were crushed under a huge pressure. His vision was invaded by dark spots that soon become total darkness. He had lost conscious once more, dragged along with the tendrils to wherever he would be brought to this time.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Eustass cracked open an eye. He groaned. The first thing that came to vision was a nose.

Yes, a nose. A very long nose. _"Like that annoying sniper…"_ Eustass added in his mind. It did not take long for two and two to click. He jumped and cursed in his mother tongue.

The young boy with a very long nose shrieked and fell backwards onto his bottom heavily. Scrawny legs that could barely hold his weight gave out as the boy scrambled backwards away from the gruff pirate captain.

Eustass wanted to pursue the boy but found that he was being restrained.

Looking down, Eustass noticed that he was being tied by a very strong rope. The knot was done expertly and it would be near impossible to untie it himself. He felt around and huffed angrily. There was not even a knife so he could cut it. Eustass glared at the boy. The boy whimpered.

Eustass looked at the trembling boy. Even though he knew Usopp was a coward Eustass still could not help but feel that the boy was pathetic. He sighed.

Usopp watched the suspicious man he caught lying in his hideout sigh and could not help but feel offended a little. Somehow it seemed as if he was not being taken seriously even after having the man bound and rendered helpless. Those knots he tied were definitely going to hold even an elephant. There was no way the man could escape them unless he was a magician.

Getting a little offended by how unaffected the captured man is, Usopp growled and stood up. He brushed away the dust on his pants and got his sling shot ready. "O-Oi!" the tremors in his voice not completely gone.

Eustass looked at the terrified boy, bored. _"Oi oi oi… I don't have time to be dealing with this…"_

"Look," Eustass negotiated with the boy who looked as if he would collapse from heart failure any time. "I'm not really going to do anything so you could let me go."

Usopp eyed him warily and refused to be convinced by a suspicious looking man in his secret hideout. "You are a fool to think I would believe you."

The last of Eustass's patience ran out. It might have been the idea to help Des gather enough power by aiding the straw hat crew members' past. However he did not sign up to deal with a kid who thought he bore the burden of the entire world. The boy was only four or five and yet he acted so maturely it made Eustass sick.

The annoyance trapped in Eustass made him exceed what his rented body should be capable off. Slowly the ropes started to snap under the tension from the force of those scrawny arms.

Eustass had been trapped in a body of a thin and gaunt man this time but none of that helped make him seem any less intimidating. If anything, what he just did made the sniper pee in his pants.

Eustass glared at the boy sitting in a puddle on the ground. "Don't speak as if you know everything. You are just a boy. What do you know of the world? If you think this world is cruel then you should be doing something to make it better instead of adding on to the darkness that already existed…"

Usopp trembled in fear at those words. They reflected everything he had been through. He had never seen his father as his mother told him he went back out to sea because it was calling him. To a young boy like Usopp it made no difference what the reason was.

His father was never there for him and Usopp had only his mother and himself. They fend for themselves and all Usopp knew was the hardships they had to face. Often when the other children of the village teased him about being a child not wanted by his father he felt the hatred build up within him.

"My father abandoned me!" the boy yelled with snot dripping from his long nose.

Eustass was boiling with rage within from some unknown reason. "Who told you that?"

From what Eustass knew, the sniper's father was an important man in Shank's crew. He was the best sniper that ever existed. How could such a man abandon his family? There had to be some misunderstanding. That kind of man would never abandon his family. He left them on shore to protect them. There was no way the marines would not pursue him after such a bounty was placed on his head. The only way to protect his family was to leave them.

Usopp shook under the intense aura. The man before him though scrawny, resembled a demon. The unconcealed anger boiling beneath the smooth mask was obvious and the hairs at the back of Usopp's neck stood. He should run but his legs failed to function. He should look away but his gaze was already trapped within that predatory glare. He could not tear his eyes away. His throat was suddenly parched and his mouth dry. The words he wanted to say failed him that instance.

"The other children in the village…"

Eustass felt the same hurt Usopp felt. The boy's tears reflected the exact ones in his heart.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

_About ten years ago…_

Eustass Kid was the only child with red hair. He was different. Eustass did not grow up with parents. He only grew up knowing how to fight and fend for himself ever since he knew how to talk. His grandmother who was formerly his care taker passed away almost after Eustass was able to walk around on his own.

Eustass survived on scraps of food he picked up or was taken in by people who pitied him for a few weeks until he was thrown out again for being too difficult to handle.

No one cared for him. No one needed him. He was unwanted.

"I don't need anyone," young Eustass told himself this lie every day. "I don't need anyone…"

The words were repeated day after day and soon enough it became part of the boy. He stood on his own and depended on no one. He fought his own battles. Sometimes he won and other times he lost. When he lost he had to drag himself back injured and hungry. When he won he would enjoy a decent morsel of food won by the winner from the other street urchins.

After a while, cuts and bruises were normal and his way of living took on a more savage form. It was to kill or be killed. He learnt it the hard way in winter. The first time Eustass took a life was when he was five. He remembered it vividly.

_Eustass struggled. The man was too strong. He was poor and wretched enough without a robber harassing him. The only valuable he had with him was just an oversized ring left to him by someone important. There was his name engraved in the band of the ring and Eustass treasured it more than his life._

_The robber had a knife and Eustass struggled from the choke hold. Clearly the struggling made it difficult for the robber to remove the ring from around Eustass's neck._

_The robber was about to cut off the chain holding the ring around Eustass's neck when Eustass kicked the man hard in the groin. _

_Scrambling out of the man's reach Eustass collapsed, weak from the oxygen deprivation. He only had a fraction of time before reacting according to his instinct._

_The arm that he used to shield himself from the onslaught slash dropped to the ground with a resounding thud. It sickened him to think about it. Eustass did not have time to think about what he lost with the primitive instinct for self-preservation still deeply embedded in his mind, clouding his judgment._

_By the time he became conscious of his own actions, Eustass had killed a man. _

_Bathed in red on a winter's night, red tainted the pure white and the coldness did not help soothe the burning pain in replacement of his severed arm. There was so much grief that tears could not express. _

_Eustass Kid decided to burry all useless emotions he deemed weak from then on and chose to walk down the path on sin. Becoming a pirate was just another excuse for him to continue shouldering this burden, looking for a way to atone for everything he had done. The path he chose was drenched in blood and his soul was definitely condemned to hell._

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Before Eustass could say anything to Usopp a man stumbled into the hideout. Usopp snapped out of his fear induced trance.

Eustass cursed.

"Usopp-kun! Your mother… your mother she…"

The sniper's eyes widened and as quick as the man he left with Usopp running behind. Eustass growled in annoyance. He followed them closely.

When they reached a small run down hut, Eustass saw Usopp running in. He decided that waiting outside would be a better option.

It had to be several hours before Usopp came out again. Eustass sauntered to the boy and lightly grasped his slumped shoulders.

Eustass saw how Usopp's eyes were rimmed red. Clearly the boy cried. Eustass's face softened.

"What happened?"

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

"Mister… the doctors said she won't make it pass this autumn. My mother really wants to see my father before she goes but I know that man won't be coming back any time soon. I don't know what I should do…" Usopp sobbed.

Eustass frowned. He never saw how the sniper wore his heart on his sleeve before because he was always goofing around and covering up his true emotions with his lies.

An idea struck Eustass. "Why don't you tell her a story then? Tell her a story about your father. It should make her happy ad she might get well again."

The suggestion made the boy cease crying for a while he sniffled. "Really?"

Eustass grinned and felt something twist oddly within him. "Yes sure!" he tried to smile as convincingly as he could. Lying was a hard thing to do since Eustass did not have a bone in him that could make things up. Lying was definitely a skill Eustass did not have. It took a lot of imagination. Once a lie was told many more stories had to be made up to cover that lie. As soon as a lie was told it felt as if everything else had to be covered for as well otherwise the perfect assuring image he had in front of the boy would collapse.

"_I wonder how that sniper does it so easily… Must have been years of practice."_

Usopp bought it without more questions to which Eustass was thankful of. "Thank you Mr. Stranger. I will do my best. If my stories can make my mother happy then I will continue to tell her stories to brighten her days. Even if it means lying to her that my father would never come back… I will continue to tell stories every day so that she will always smile. I want her to be happy."

Eustass smiled. He knew the boy's pain. He knew what the boy was trying to accomplish too. He did it as well after all. He lied to himself instead of everyone else. That was the only difference between them.

"_I lied that it did not hurt… I lied that I did not have feelings. I lied that I wasn't sad. It might not be a good thing but it will help you get through your toughest times. As long as there is hope, everything will be fine even if it is not."_

Eustass watched Usopp run off. His smile cracked and it turned into a grim line. Tears fell from his eyes for the first time in many years.

"_I can continue to lie but if you are gone, Trafalgar, then what should I continue lying about? It's meaningless if you're not with me… At least for once give me the chance to tell you the truth. I was a coward like him because I refused to acknowledge the truth that I had feelings."_

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Des felt the energy channel through her. She heard his thoughts and the cry of his heart. The small life in her hands throbbed warmly. It pulsed as if speaking to her. The orb of light grew in size once more. It had shrunk to the size of a child's fist.

A warm breeze swept Eustass back to where Des was. By now he wasn't bothered if she was present physically. Law's life resonated in the room and Eustass sensed his presence strongly. He knew Law was safe.

Des put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "You did well."

Eustass did not bother lifting his head. "Did I do the right thing?"

Des gave him a small sad smile. "That is something determined by the future. You did what you had to. Are you ready for the next person?"

Eustass lifted his head slowly and their eyes met. The sorrowful gaze reflected his. Eustass knew at once Des understood his pain and was comforted by that thought.

Briefly glazing over Trafalgar Law, Eustass nodded. "I can do it."

"_For him," _Eustass added silently and steeled his resolve.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

**Author's Note: Exams coming… rib cage fractured from coughing too much again. I'm not yet fully recovered but then I figured out I could at least update this chapter for all of you. Who would you want to see next? Drop me a reply and a review if you can forgive me for updating this so late… Thank you for supporting me.**


	6. Valentine's Day Special Eustass x Law

**Valentine's Day Special**

**Eustass Kid x Trafalgar Law**

* * *

It was night and the sea was unusually calm. Eustass looked at the waxing moon and enjoyed the gentle sway as waves rocked against the ship. It was a little lonely to be spending his time in bed alone. It was even lonelier when he knew that his heart can never be satisfied. Eustass could only yearn and look longingly at the picture of his object of affection.

Trafalgar Law's cocky smile and twinkling eyes on the poster on his wall seemed to beckon him to go over. Eustass sighed. Many times he had imagined himself walking over to that man and embracing him. However no matter what he did, the Trafalgar Law in the picture would never be his. The real Trafalgar Law would be sailing somewhere in the Grand Line with his merry crew and a talking polar bear.

He sighed.

"You have no idea what I would do to see you tonight…" Eustass told the picture on the wall and stroked it affectionately.

All of a sudden the ship shock and Eustass lost his balance. He tumbled off the bed.

Eustass rubbed his sore side and growled. There was commotion on the deck and Eustass was not too pleased. He got up quickly and threw on his heavy fur coat.

Stomping up to the deck, he yelled for an explanation. Killer appeared slightly flustered and his explanation sounded jumbled. That made Eustass's patience snap.

Before he could throw his first mate over the side, a smooth voice shocked him. It was a voice he least expected to hear.

"Careful there Eustass-ya, you don't want to get your blood pressure too high. It might trigger heart problems."

Eustass's neck snapped towards the grinning olive skinned man with the spotted fur hat. He was missing that ridiculously long sword and behind him was an orange jumper wearing polar bear.

Eustass felt his heart leap. He tried to hide it by putting on a scowl. Secretly he was extremely pleased to see the man even though he knew nothing good would come out of their unplanned meeting.

"What are you doing here?" he sneered a little too harshly. He hoped it was convincing enough to show how much he hated the man even if it was just the complete opposite inside.

His heart sped up when Law took a step closer. He wanted to move back but he fought that urge and stood his ground. He gulped and he saw how the doctor's eyes followed the movement of his Adam's apple.

The fur coat suddenly felt insufficient as Law's eyes undressed him. Eustass felt naked and exposed. He was vulnerable like a lamb cornered by a wolf… a very sexy one.

"Well you see Eustass-ya, my submarine was rising to break to the surface when your ship casually sailed into my path causing a collision. Now I am unable to carry on with my journey for a while until repairs are being made. The poor thing is taking in water as we speak and I might need your help. I heard you are a marvelous tinkerer so I was hoping perhaps you might help me out this little predicament. Of course I don't expect you to do it for free. You could ask anything from me after you've helped me out. I am a man of my word so you can be assured I won't run away."

Eustass considered for a while. His right hand man did not trust the doctor much and it was no secret he disliked the man even though he knew it was his captain's eternal object of affection. "Captain…"

Eustass raised a hand to stop Killer from speaking his mind. He knew what the man was thinking. After all, they were close friends. Killer was good at judging people and when he said that Law was a dangerous person he was probably right. Eustass on the other hand trusts blindly. He charges in with all the blood up in his head because he doesn't think. That was Killer's job.

However this time it was different. At least for once he should be able to follow his heart. "You have no idea what you are saying Trafalgar."

Law smirked. He closed the distance between them agonizingly. By the time he stopped, his lips were only inches away from Eustass's own pair. Eustass could not look away. Law had him apprehended in his stare.

"Try me," the words left those lips sinfully. The warm puff of breath landed on Eustass's own lips making him lick them unconsciously. He hungered for the man who was so near yet so far. Law smirked when he saw Eustass reacting to him.

Adding on in a sultry voice, Law threw in a wink as he turned to walk back to his submarine. "I'll be waiting for you."

Eustass was frozen there, left to watch as those hips swayed. He followed moments later like a good dog trailing behind its master. Killer could not believe how his captain was so easily wrapped around the creepy doctor's finger.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

It was about five thirty the next morning when Esutass was finally done with patching the yellow submarine up. He was tired and exhausted. Clearly the damage taken had been more serious than what he thought initially. The sly captain never told him about how the engine room was in need of fixing as well. He took it upon himself to inspect every single corner of the pristine submarine and discovered a whole lot of problems that even Law was unaware of. Patching a hole took less than an hour but fixing a submarine that was full of faults dragged the time needed.

Law did not question when Eustass started taking out parts from his engine room. He trusted that man's skills when it came to fixing machines. Law watched as the hours go by with Eustass calling out for a tool to be passed to him ever so frequently.

The oil smeared body glistened with sweat contrasted well against the pale skin. Law had always had a soft spot for the blood thirsty captain since the first time they met at the auction house. He never expected such a refined man to fall for such a brute but that was how love worked.

It wasn't planned at all for the accident to occur nevertheless, Law was secretly happy it did happen. At least he had a chance to see Eustass Kid. He wanted to see Eustass Kid before he headed for the next island because he never knew when he was going to kick the bucket. On the Grand Line, nothing is for certain. Death could be lurking anywhere.

Eustass finally emerged from beneath the cramped space under the equipment he was fixing. It was the last one that required fixing. Eustass's loopy smile made Law's heart skip a beat. The smile that reflected how satisfied he was with his work was something Law rarely got to see. It was usually a customary scowl for a greeting or a blood thirsty grin.

"There, done! All in a day'swork…" Eustass declared as he stretched and yawn.

Law could not help but smile. The way Eustass seemed like an overgrown baby was an endearing thought.

"Thank you, Eutass-ya... You really are a lifesaver. I wouldn't know what to do if it wasn't for you. As promised I will owe you a favor. If it is within my means I will do it to the best of my abilities," Law told Eustass.

He gave Eustass a Vivre Card. Eustass looked puzzled. Law chuckled. "This is so you can contact me when you have thought of what you would like me to do. Unless of course you have in mind already what I can do…"

Eustass blushed slightly and turned away. "Of course not!" He huffed indignantly. Law could not suppress the wide smile. He stood up and slowly made his way to the blushing red head.

Eustass felt a pair of warm and gentle hands cup his cheeks and turned him to face Law.

His eyes widened as he felt a pair of foreign lips against his own rough and chapped ones. "Law..." he managed to breathe out in slight shock.

Law took the opportunity to slip in a tongue when Eustass parted his lips. He closed his eyes to savor the moment. Eustass allowed himself to be swept away by Law and closed his eyes too.

The two men allowed this to prolong for a few minutes before parting for air reluctantly. Faint hues of pink dusted on both their cheeks. Brown eyes met grey eyes as they searched each other's souls.

A cough from the door startled them both and instantly they pushed each other away.

"I came to see if any help was required but I guess you are done here… I'll just help with cleaning up the other rooms then, captain," Killer bowed and left quickly.

Eustass was blushing madly and Trafalgar Law did his best to get his heart back to normal. _"Had Killer seen us?"_ they thought.

Awkwardly, Eustass made an excuse to leave and Law dumbly nodded. Before Eustass disappeared, Law called out, "Remember to collect the rest of your payment some time… that was just the interest…"

Law saw Eustass wave, indicating he heard what Law said. Law smiled. Valentine's Day this year isn't so bad. However he hoped that the next one would be even better.

"I look forward to seeing you again, Eustass-ya…"

* * *

**Author's Note: I rushed it so forgive me...**


	7. Valentine's Day Special Zoro x Sanji

**Valentine's Day Special**

**Zoro x Sanji**

* * *

The cook was at it again. He was fawning over the ladies as if they were made of glass. Zoro snorted at how ridiculous the cook was with all the crates he was carrying. Surely that was heavy even for Sanji. Zoro knew the blonde man was far from weak but seeing how his hands were turning blue from carrying too many things Zoro could not help but feel slightly jealous.

It was Valentine's Day, a day for lovers normally. However in this case, no one knew they were lovers except for a few perceptive ones. No one questioned anything either. It worked out well for them. Night watches became rendezvous and the kitchen was their love nest.

The one thing that Zoro could not get over was this feeling in his chest and the pits of his stomach whenever the cook flirted with women. He knew it was the cook's nature to be a flirt and he told himself to accept it. He did not want to stop the cook from being who he is just because they were dating. However, no matter what kind of reasons he tried to convince himself with, the cook's flirting always made him see green.

The strong feelings of wanting to own the cook and lock him up plagued Zoro and the swordsman was highly disturbed. Meditation did not help to rid of those feelings. If anything, it only grew stronger.

Valentine's Day was important for Sanji and he made a huge fuss over it. Luffy only agreed to celebrate it with the promise of a feast. Personally Zoro did not care less about what the cook thought about Valentine's Day. To him it was just another day he would train, eat, kiss his cook and then sleep.

To Zoro, that was enough. He was completely content with the simplicity of life. The cook was a sophisticated person and things like special dates and numbers are important to him.

He remembered the last time he forgot to tell the cook about his birthday and how he was yelled at. Sanji forced him to attend a compulsory belated birthday celebration the next day. It was not a bad thing. He had booze and the cook in bed. He could learn to get used to it.

The other time he forgotten their anniversary Sanji threw a tantrum and gave him the cold treatment for two weeks. Zoro became frustrated in ways more than one. They made up after that and Zoro swore never to forget that day again. He never want to have Sanji ignore him again. The last time it happened Zoro was so miserable he thought he would die. He didn't know how he survived that but he sure as hell was not going to have a repetition of that.

Valentine's Day is something Zoro has never heard of in his life until Sanji and Franky came into his life. He only knew when Kuina's death anniversary was and his own birthday which he never celebrated until he joined Luffy's crew.

Sanji was completely opposite of Zoro. He described Zoro as a boring, lazy Neanderthal whatever it meant. Zoro thought Sanji was a sissy boy who was extremely vain. How they came to like each other and progressed to dating had to be a miracle.

It started with sake and now they were together, happy. Or so they should be if not for Zoro fighting off the envy demon inside him.

"And then we will go and get some of the spices I've been telling you about… Valentine's Day can't do without flowers either but I can't gather they things I need before dinner if I get them so you have to get them for me… remember to only get the red ones. Roses with dark red petals are classic in a candle light setting not that Luffy would know how to appreciate it… Oi, are you listening to me Marimo?"

Zoro snapped his head back to the rambling cook. "Huh?"

Sanji chewed his cigarette in annoyance. "What are you spacing out about? Is there something more important than Valentine's Day? You know I don't want to mess this up for Nami-swan and Robin-chwan!"

Zoro lost it at that. He bellowed, "If you care so much about them you could just go to them! Stop dragging me into things that you like! I'm sick of it!"

Sanji's cigarette fell to the stone pavement as Zoro stalked off angrily. He put a hand to his forehead and sighed. "Shit…"

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

The party was as rowdy as usual with Luffy goofing around. Sanji smiled as he observed how happy everyone present was.

The cigarette he was smoking did nothing to soothe his aching heart. He knew how Zoro felt but he could not help it. He was brought up to be a gentleman and even if Zoro was his lover he always seemed to put the ladies first. He hated that part of himself and tried to change but nothing he did worked. He had to find Zoro and apologize. He already planned something just for the two of them after the party as a surprise for Zoro but the man was not present.

He exhaled a stream of smoke and leaned back against the rail.

Franky observed how Sanji was a little out of it and frowned. He may have looked carefree and all but age and experience makes a person wiser. He looked at Brook who nodded, indicating he knew something.

Franky went over to Brook to ask more about what happened. He too knew that Zoro was missing.

"Did Zoro get lost or something?"

Brook laughed. "If only it was that simple."

Robin used her devil fruit ability to listen in to their conversation. She smiled. If only they knew…

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Zoro was in the crow's nest. He was back earlier than anyone else. He was training his ass off to smother the rage he felt inside. He regretted what he did and was angry at himself for losing it so easily.

The party started a few hours ago and Zoro was definitely famished. There was only so much lifting and pumping he could do before his stomach protested. He watched as the cook attended to the ladies.

"The damn cook doesn't even need me there…" he grumbled. A pang of sadness tugged at his heart. It hurts to be in love. Zoro never wanted to be in love because he knew how much tears it would bring him. He vowed only to give his heart to someone strong and worthy. Unfortunately, the cook stole it before he could deliver it to someone else. It wasn't as if the blonde idiot was weak. He was strong.

Sanji could fight on par with Zoro, something not ordinary people could do. He was reliable. Zoro could trust his life to that man. However the way the man was nice to everyone, too nice actually, made Zoro a little mad. If he was someone special to Sanji then why isn't Sanji treating him like someone special?

Zoro groaned. He was starting to feel sick of himself. He wasn't a school girl jealous over her boyfriend caring about other people… he was the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro with a hundred and twenty million berry bounty on his head…

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Sanji was surprised when Robin pressed a piece of paper in his hands.

"Valentine's Day gift for you," she smiled.

"Oh my angel you shouldn't have… Thank you anyway, I will treasure it."

Robin smiled mysteriously. "I'm sure you would."

After the boisterous party and the main crew going to sleep, Sanji cleaned up the kitchen and deck. He was disappointed that Zoro did not come back.

After washing the dishes, he felt in his pocket for his cigarettes when he remembered the piece of paper Robin gave him.

Opening it he read what was written on it. Slowly, a small smile broke out on the surface of his handsome face. His hands got busy again and this time, he was going to create something different from what he usually did.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

A knock at the door to made Zoro snapped out of his nap. He frowned. It was late at night. He did not remember having anyone else doing the night watch. _"Unless they all thought I was still missing…"_

He opened the door and found no one. Zoro frowned. He did not believe in ghosts at all but he knew he was not dreaming either when he heard the knock.

Something caught his attention. On the floor was a single letter with rose petals scattered around and a single candle in a stand. He picked up the letter and read.

"_Dear Zoro, I know you are mad at me but please just for tonight can you forgive me? I have something important to tell you. I hope you will give me the chance to say it. I will wait for you at the end of the rose petal trail. Be quick because as soon as morning comes, the man you know as Sanji will be gone…"_

Zoro panicked. What was the cook planning? What did he mean by Sanji will be gone? Wasting no time Zoro grabbed his swords and hastened to follow the rose petal trail.

The trail led Zoro all the way to the aquarium room. There was a table lit with candles. The atmosphere was romantic and Zoro could understand why Sanji thought Valentine's Day was important through his efforts. Every single detail was taken into consideration.

Sanji was still nowhere to be seen even though Zoro has reached the end of the rose petal trail.

He walked to the table and waiting for him was his favorite a Japanese dishes. The hunger came back at full force and Zoro's worry became the least of his concerns.

Sanji peeked through the keyhole at the door and watched Zoro eat ravenously, tearing into the meat and all. He smiled. He went to the deck to make the necessary preparations.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Zoro burped unceremoniously and sighed. He glanced at the candle and noticed a note pinned under it. Quickly he read it. It was Sanji's handwriting and it contained only two words. _"Look up."_

Zoro was puzzled. Before he could do anything he heard a tapping noise coming from the glass. He looked up.

In the aquarium was Sanji. Zoro was flabbergasted. His jaws hit the ground.

Sanji was holing up a waterproof flipchart. Zoro read what it said.

"_I know I'm not perfect. I know I flirt a lot. I know I'm bad at expressing myself."_

Zoro gulped. Sanji flipped to the next page.

"_I know you love me. I love you a lot too but sometimes things between us get so difficult…"_

Zoro waited for the next chart.

"_We've been through so much and we've both suffered. Sometimes I just want to give it all up…"_

Zoro bit his lower lips ad frowned. He felt the same too. He did not know the cook felt so insecure because he thought he was the only one.

"_I'm insecure and all, I'm not strong like what you think…"_

"_However if you can look past all these then can I ask for something more?"_

Sanji looked at Zoro separated by the glass. Zoro's eyes were glistening. He nodded.

"_Can I be your only Valentine, now and forever?"_

Zoro put a hand over his mouth. It felt like a proposal. He never expected Sanji to be this romantic and even though Zoro was not a man who knew how to appreciate romantic and sappy things, he could not deny this was exactly what they needed.

"Yes," Zoro choked. "Yes Sanji, yes!"

Sanji swam up to Zoro and placed a hand on the glass. He was smiling. Zoro walked up to the glass and placed his hand where it would have been touching Sanji's if not for the glass.

"I love you," Zoro mouthed the words and pressed his lips against the cool glass where Sanji's lips were.

Sanji was touched by the tender gesture. Happiness swelled within him. _"Thank you Zoro… Happy Valentine's Day."_

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry if it was cheesy and all… I wrote this with a lot more ease than Eustass x Law. Hope you enjoyed it :) I doubt all of it made sense but I thought some of you might enjoy reading it. Do leave a review or two~ Happy Valentine's Day everyone!**


	8. Arsonphobia

**Chapter 6**

**Author's Note: My exams were over only last week and I tried to write this as fast as I could. Sorry for the long wait, here it is so enjoy :D**

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

It had been a rather smooth transit to the next scene and Eustass was thankful for it. However the sight that greeted him was far from what he expected.

Red and black were the only colours that greeted him. The smell of smoke and charred flesh was engraved into the back of his mind. A similar scene played at the back of his mind.

_The sky was painted black and red. It was so sudden that Eustass had no time to grieve. Only yesterday the sky had been his color of happiness. Today, everything was gone. Everything was razed to the ground._

_Eustass watched helplessly as the flames consumed the hut he built. All the metal parts melted away under the intense heat. The wood was turned into ash. Eustass was too numb to move. Tears that ran free had run dry. Streaks of blood took the place of what formerly were tears._

_Eustass knew every single plank of wood, every single nut, nail and bolt that held that structure he was so proud and fond of. Everything became void and all his efforts waste. The fire destroyed everything in its path leaving nothing behind, not even memories._

Eustass remembered how lost he felt at his loss. That shed may have been broken but it was his pride and joy. He built it from scrap and lived in it. No one cared for a red haired child like him. No one in the village treated him like a human because he had strange powers. It was his only safe haven he called home. The fire took it away.

At the same time Eustass remembered feeling this strange desire build in him. The flames danced gracefully as they delivered devastation. A twisted sense in Eustass made him disregard the right from the wrong. He threw away whatever moral compass the society used and created his own. He saved whoever he wanted to save and killed whoever he wanted to kill. Eustass lived only by his rules like the fire, wild, unpredictable, destructive yet irreplaceable. That was until he met Law.

Fire makes a good servant but not a good master. Unfortunately, no one had been able to rein the flame colored hair man, no one except Trafalgar Law.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Sanji coughed. The smoke was making breathing a challenge and his eyes stung. The heat was unbearable and his skin was covered in blisters. Burns showed on almost every inch of the blonde boy's pale skin. There was hardly a patch untouched by the merciless flames.

In a last desperate attempt to get help, Sanji took a deep breath and shouted.

The thick smog filled the young lungs and seared his throat. Sanji hollered with the remaining strength he had. No more tears fell as everything dried up and burned, including Sanji's hopes.

In the black smog just before passing out, Sanji thought he saw a small shimmering hope. He was not too sure what to make of it but trusted the man enough to reach out.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Eustass watched over the kid who had fainted. Pulling him out from the fire had been no easy feat especially for him in his new form. He never expected Des to leave him in an old man's body.

Sanji had nightmares quite frequently in the last three days. As if on cue, the squirming started. Eustass hurried over to pin the boy down to prevent him from hurting himself.

Sanji woke up with a scream tearing from his throat. Eustass's ears rang and he winced. He never expected the cook to have such a traumatic past. Eustass was worried about law because he had never taken so long to help one of the crew members.

Seeing Sanji's fearful eyes, Eustass felt torn. He felt a compulsion to save the boy from his nightmares as well as his urgency to get back to check on Law.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Eustass could not believe it. The boy looked at the stove with fear in his eyes. How was he going to become a cook if he could not even stand within five meters of the stove?

Sanji cowered on the floor as Eustass put out the fire on the stove. Bringing the boy to the kitchen to calm his nerves was an extremely bad idea. When he was told the worst trauma was when the boy was starved on that rock of an island, Eustass never imagined Sanji did not start out liking to cook.

The man wrecked his brains for days trying to convince the boy he loved to cook but to no avail. The boy would not go near fire. Eustass was near pulling out his hair by the roots not that he had much left in his new form. He was vexed.

"What can I do to get that cook near fire again? Just because it did destroy things does not mean it is all harmful… then again it depends on perspective."

An idea struck Eustass.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Sanji held onto Eustass's hand nervously. He said they were going to a carnival to cheer him up. Sanji had just escaped death nearly and yet the old loony was suggesting something so ordinarily absurd in his situation. Any sane person would allow time to heal those wounds but Eustass was not quite sane. Sanji had no way of knowing that. He only had the choice to trust the person who saved his life.

Sanji held the old man's hand tightly and stayed close to him at all times. The fair was crowded and people pushed against each other in the hustle. Eustass wrinkled his nose on distaste at how blindingly colorful the decorations are. The luminous colors simply hurt his old eyes.

He scanned the fairgrounds carefully. They always had that act when the whole troupe arrived. The applause from the crowd drew his attention. Eustass knew where to head at once.

Pushing through the crowd to get a front view, Eustass dragged Sanji along to watch a spectacular performance of fire breathing, fire eating, fire spitting and fire dancing. They were all professional stuntmen and acrobats. Eustass hoped Sanji would get over that trauma quickly with a new outlook on the flame.

Sanji stood there in the crowd watching the fire that once destroyed his entire life, dance with grace under the command of people. He could not help but feel mesmerized by the beauty of it yet his body responded by trembling in fear. His heart raced, he wanted to flee but his eyes refuse to shift their line of sight from the flames.

"It's beautiful…" Sanji gasped.

Eustass smiled. They were finally progressing.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

Eustass groaned. After all the trouble of helping the boy to overcome his fear of fire, the boy was adamant about becoming a cook.

"Cooking is for girls and I am not a girl! Why should I do something so lame?"

Eustass massaged his temple. It was going to be a long time before he could finish what he was supposed to do. "Please don't kill me if I don't make it on time… Law, please wait for a little longer while I pound some sense into this utterly useless brat…"

Eustass glared at the blonde bag of bones and whacked him hard over the head causing the boy to yelp and cry.

"You have no right to say that!" Eustass snapped. He vaguely remembered what Sanji had told him about his passion for cooking and the reason behind it.

"Cooking is a profession as honorable as any other. Without it, people would starve and die. People will fall ill due to lack of nutrition. Don't look down on cooking!"

Just as Eustass was about to say more, his old body gave out. His heart stopped and his eyes rolled back into his skull.

The young boy watched in horror as the old man collapsed. Eustass watched the fading scene of how the boy grieved for his supposed death.

When he got back, he gave Des a halfhearted glare.

"You could have spared him the nightmares of my 'death'."

Des smiled. "I knew you were a kind person inside."

Eustass growled threateningly and Des laughed.

Then the captain remembered something.

"How is he?" Eustass asked anxiously. He hoped the time taken did not cause Trafalgar any harm

Des stopped laughing. She showed Eustass the glowing orb that had become bigger than the last time.

She saw the questioning look on his face and explained, "While time is rather nonexistent in my world, it is real in other worlds. I can manipulate time zones in other parallel realities to match my own. Your actions and the severity of the situation will determine how much time has passed in my dimension. In Sanji's case, there was no waste of time and certainly no hanky-panky businesses. The condition was sever and so was the impact made. The greater the impact of your actions without changing the future for certain, the more time will be bought and the greater my powers will increase. In other words, it is the law of equivalent exchange that must be observed. As time is a constant energy, there is no way of producing more time. I have to take away some time from somewhere in order to lengthen time in another area."

Eustass cocked his head to a side indicating he did not understand anything. Des sighed, Trust a muscle head to comprehend logic.

"In other words, I am staling some time from everyone to extend your boyfriend's time so you can make an exchange with yours."

Understanding flickered and Des felt as if she aged quite a bit.

Eustass had gotten used to having Law being addressed as his boyfriend. Speaking of boyfriends…

"Who is next? Is it that sour faced boyfriend of the cook's?"

Des chuckled. What a way to put things. "If you want to find out so badly I could send you over right now…"

"Wait! I have a request to make."

Des waited for the red haired man to speak. He seemed to struggle with the words in his mouth.

Finally a defeated sigh was heard. "Never mind. Just make me a little more handsome will you? My back was killing me…"

Des grinned. "No promises~" she sang as she shipped Eustass off to another realm.

* * *

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

* * *

"What the fuck?" Eustass cussed. He was face to face with a creature.

The furry animal howled. Eustass stared at the familiar nose. It sparkled blue.

"Chopper?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Finally up… I'm so sorry it took so long and yet it isn't as entertaining as it should be… Thank you for supporting me up till now. As usual, I don't like to read forced reviews so if you feel like it, do drop me a few ^^ I really like reading sincere ones even though I know I don't really deserve it.**


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